This invention relates to computer-based systems that use a question-and-answer format and/or complete a user task such as preparing a legal opinion, assembling a document, rendering a medical diagnosis, or conducting educational training and evaluation sessions. More particularly, this invention relates to a system that assists the user in exercising professional judgment in the course of completing a task, rather than the system itself merely making decisions based on user input. By permitting the user to exercise intellectual control over decisions made in the process of completing the task, by efficiently informing the user about the professional judgment required, and by assisting in the timely exercise of that judgment, the system effectively combines the knowledge base of a computer system with the expertise and experience of the user. The system combines: (1) an execution component (herein called the "execution program") with (2) a task-specific component (herein called "application programs") to accomplish tasks for the user, and includes (3) an application authoring component (herein called the "authoring program") for the generation of "application programs" that may be used in conjunction with the "execution program" to accomplish their assigned tasks for the user. The system allows for the creation and use of concise application programs that solicit preliminary factual input from the user. It then manages the process of coupling that factual input with the application author's expertise embedded within applications, and, together with the user's judgment (effectively informed and obtained during execution by the system), swiftly and economically performs the assigned task.
Computer-based decision making systems, often known as expert systems, provide advice or opinion based on facts entered into the system by the user. If the user's task, for example, is to diagnose a medical condition, the system prompts the user for pertinent information. It then renders an opinion based on the facts provided by the user and the knowledge base (usually a set of rules) of the system. Such expert systems have been used in a variety of fields, including the preparation of legal documents such as contracts, licenses, etc. These particular systems are commonly known as expert-based document assembly systems.
Such prior systems (particularly document assembly systems) have suffered from a number of drawbacks that have limited their usefulness. One drawback is the lack of available application programs (also known as packages) for users. Application programs may either be written directly using a programming language such as C or may be created using another computer program known as an authoring program. Typically, authors that can provide the expertise for an application, such as experienced lawyers, scientists and medical doctors, are not skilled computer programmers. Authoring programs attempt to simplify the writing of application programs so that their authors can write application programs with minimal training. However, prior authoring programs have often been too complex to be useful, and as a result few applications have been written. The application programs that must be authored using prior systems necessarily are complex structures themselves--requiring substantial computer programming skill of their authors to deal with a multitude of ordinary aspects of computer implementation.
Another drawback of such prior systems has been their deterministic nature. As described above, such systems prompt a user for facts and then apply a series of rules to determine appropriate answers. In terms of preparing a document, these answers represent provisions that are included in the document. The user is not given the opportunity to exercise professional judgment as to the desirability of a provision. For example, a provision in an employment contract may or may not be desirable, depending on subtleties not available to the system. Only the user, experienced in evaluating the subtleties and well informed as to their implication, can make the ultimate decision whether to include such a provision, and yet present systems neither well inform the user nor allow for such user judgment. The result is that the document provided by the system must often be heavily edited, and hence the value of the system to the user is considerably less than hoped.
This invention overcomes these drawbacks. It provides an authoring program that is simple to use for preparing application programs. This invention's application programs may be very concise structures not requiring their authors to be concerned with the ordinary aspects of other computer implementation. It also allows the professional judgment of the user to be combined with the knowledge base of the system in completing the task at hand, whether that task is providing a medical diagnosis, a training session, a professional opinion or an assembled legal document.